Nydia M. Velazquez: “our country is in a health care crisis. Today, in the world's largest remaining superpower, 41 million Americans live…”

“our country is in a health care crisis. Today, in the world's largest remaining superpower, 41 million Americans live without health insurance. No place in this epidemic is more apparent than with our Nation's small businesses. They represent 60 percent of this country's uninsured. Small business owners and their employees do not have health insurance, not because they do not want it or are trying to cut corners, but because they cannot afford it. Small companies see their insurance costs rising upwards of 25 percent each year. They are unfairly suffering this burden, and their employees are unfairly suffering without insurance. Small businesses provide more than half of the Nation's gross domestic product, create 75 percent of all new jobs, and give two-thirds of Americans their first paychecks. Yet many small businesses are unable to provide the benefits they know the workers deserve. Today, with the passage of this bipartisan Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2003, we take an important first step in helping millions of Americans afford what so many in this Chamber take for granted, health care.”